The Ice Queen
by Annie Dawn
Summary: How did Olivier Mira Armstrong to get to Briggs? Meet the dark origin of this terrifying leader. FMA belongs to Hiromu Arakawa.


The cold air was thicker than usual, foggy and dusty wind kept on blowing with an agonizing rhythm through the rocky ground. Clouds were above with a dark gray color announcing another precipitation, lighter this time. Freezing, tiny drops slid through rotten corpses all covered in pale dirt and ashes. No color in sight except the washed blood red, almost brown because of the time. Fear faces, pain faces, disfigured faces, tangled arms and legs all laid on the frosty battlefield, waiting for an angel or a demon to take them away. The hard and heavy weight of a lost battle was overwhelming, tragedy was all seen and the scent of putrid blood had impregnated the breeze like a warning sign.

She knew she had been there for too long, she knew there could be enemies still around to kill her, and so she patiently waited under a pile of filthy and stinky corpses who once were her comrades, her partners, her friends. Once the danger was gone, a figure raised from the dead bodies, a still living soul with a beating heart. The woman tilted her torso forward pulling away one of the bodies in the process. A pair of sapphire eyes began to glow in the gray landscape as she slowly opened them with, she considered, too much effort. Confusion contorted her face, she didn't think she was so weak, three days of food deprivation did their job after all, but strength was still there, like a lion heart pumping hard on her chest so full of life. A deep and slow inhalation filled her lungs with enough dust and rotten smell to make her cough twice, and an instant lightning was seen by her pupils when she tried to move her right leg. Her careful hand slipped to where the pain was bigger and stood there for a moment, inspecting the area. It was a big wound which, in spite of being naturally patched by a blood clot, hurt more than she gave it credit for. It couldn't be felt before because that part of her body was under a heavy corpse which cut the circulation of blood to the entire limb. She stretched her right arm biting her lower lip hard in order not to make any noise, and reached the jacket of one of the dead bodies resting beside her, pulled as hard as her skinny arm allowed her and tore a piece of off-color fabric. The wound was still fragile so at the sudden movements her body made, it painfully reopened pouring a bright and clear red color which stained the lower part of her uniform. Her trembling hands worked as finely as they could trying to cover the injury with the piece of cloth until they finally succeeded. Eyes wide open, she scanned the surroundings with her face full of sadness and amazement. As her gaze touched every single corpse, she could hear a tired voice inside her head reporting every single name. A tear rolled down her cheek, which was followed by another one and then another one, and before she noticed she was crying like a stupid child. It didn't take long for her to realize it and rapidly dried them with the dirty sleeve covering her forearm. Anger and sorrow flooded her chest, 'A certain someone should pay for this...' she thought. Her eyes were still glowing contrasting with her pale gray hair and skin full of ash and dust, she frowned and managed to stand up in between dead friends. The cadaverous woman stood there for almost twenty minutes, staring at the horizon. A pale light was seen in the distance, 'It must be nine or ten miles away...' she mumbled to herself. She took a step forward and ducked to catch her bloody sword which she quickly cleaned sliding her sleeve all along its blade, sheathed it and hung it on her back. Ready to go, she started her journey, limping and inching was determined to reach her destiny. Still frowning, she firmly marched never losing sight of her objective.

Five hours later, she could descry the camp almost a mile away, 'I'll be there in less than an hour.' She thought. It was a small soldiers-camp in the middle of nowhere, just ten miles away from the battlefield. Six small and green tents were aligned three in front of three. A bigger white one stood on the right side of said tents, she knew that was the one in which General Blackwood was staying. 'That bastard!', she mumbled. As far as her mind remembered, it was inhabited, however, she couldn't see anyone around, not even closing her eyes a bit to make a better focus.

Her pace was slow and clumsy (due to her injury) but she was still frowned and focused, she was sick of being treated like rubbish, she was sick of serving to such an unqualified fool like Blackwood and most of all, she was sick of watching friends die in pointless battles because of his stupidity. The thought of his pathetic face served as enough fuel to pump her to her final destiny: that filthy white tent.

A big chair was lying on the white tent's entrance so the General could sit and take a look to every man present. Miles, now named as Major, was standing next to him with his arms back (as usual), Buccaneer was just on the opposite side the same way. They were supposed to protect him. In the green tents were distributed twenty Soldiers and four Sargents, all that was left of the army that was sent from Central to the Northern Wall of Briggs, they weren't there yet because of that pathetic attempt of superior they had.

The pale and malnourished woman walked firmly towards the back of the white tent, she rounded it until she saw the other smaller tents. Her eyes laid on her peers' ones, they were astonished. Mouths-falling and shocked gestures everywhere. Every man present emanated from the tents to watch the living miracle that had arrived from heaven, she was really appreciated between the comrades and they all hated the bastard in charge. The woman kept on walking slowly to finally arrive to the place where Blackwood was located, once she made it, she stood in front of the man in a cold and impervious way. The man's face contorted with an grimace of disbelief when he saw her, he didn't utter a single word.

"Long time no see, General Blackwood." She greeted with her undaunted stare, folding her arms tightly.

"Lieutenant Armstrong, you don't look so good, I must admit, but such good news to know you're still alive!" He replied in an ironic way with a serious look.

"I'm really sad to report that no-one made it besides me. I had to hide under Klinent's and Turner's corpses for almost three days, but I'm here." When she finished the sentence everyone frowned furiously, they were led to death for no reason.

"Well, that's disturbing, but you made it at last. Now you're here I can name you Major! What do you say? You must be hungry too..." He smiled a bit sadistically.

"I won't accept your food! You are such a pathetic excuse of a human being and you are not capable of leading an army! This was all your fault, bastard!" She unsheathed the sword from her back and pointed it straight to his head with an inquisitive look on her eyes, she wasn't going to doubt.

Standing up furiously, the man did the same and stood frozen in front of her. "How dare you talk to a superior that way? Stupid woman! I'm going to show you some manners!" He headed his sword towards the woman, but it was diverted by her own and with a quick turn she was behind him and pushed her weapon forward to insert it just through Blackwood's chest. Everyone watched amazed to the show, no-one attempted to stop her, neither Miles nor Bucaneer who where the General's personal bodyguards. All present were pleased with her job. She pulled the sword back to her, placing her right foot on the man's ass and kicking so it could slide away easier. Once the sword left his body, the corpse fell hardly to the ground and all the looks fell on her.

"What are you waiting for?!" She shouted furiously and imposingly to the men, "Let's head north until we find the Wall of Briggs!" Everyone was confused but they did what she said, they owed her a big one.

"The General's dead, what am I going to report to Central?" Miles whispered when he got the chance to get close enough to the woman.

"You just say he died in battle, that he was hero enough to go himself. They'll believe it, trust me." Her face was still immutable.

"And what about you? You're Major now, aren't you?" He asked confused.

"Let ME talk to Central! Turn on the radio!" She commanded and two soldiers immediately did what they were told. After several minutes of intense talking and constant reporting, she turned around and opened her mouth to give a great announcement: "I was named General and I will lead you to Briggs!"


End file.
